About Shawnimals by Shawn Smith's Shop

All this stuff is created lovingly by Chicago-based bearded weirdo named Shawn Smith, better known as Shawnimals.

All this stuff is created lovingly by Chicago-based bearded weirdo named Shawn Smith, better known as Shawnimals.

Hey! My name is Shawn Smith but I'm also known as Shawnimals and Ninjatown. I like to draw and paint things, and I also like to make products that features those things.

While Shawnimals has been many things over the years, through it all it's been about the cute, funny, and kind of weird creatures that come from my brain.

In the beginning, they merely adorned the margins of my notepads in school. Over time, they evolved, becoming the perfect mix of being iconic and recognizable yet open enough to allow someone's imagination to take the designs even further.

Characters like the Wee Ninja from Ninjatown, Moustachios, Pocket Pork Dumplings, and so many more. Being inspired by pop culture at-large, and then turning it into something entirely new is one of my favorite parts of what I do.

I'm proud to say that thousands of handmade plush goods have been produced since Shawnimals' humble beginnings, with even more products released in the form of designer toys and other such collectibles with companies like Kidrobot and Rotofugi, lifestyle accessories and apparel with Mimoco, David and Goliath, and Smash Transit, amazing promotional goods with companies like MailChimp, Basecamp, Revolution Brewing, and others, not to mention comics, video games for Nintendo, iOS, and Android, and many more.

I'm flattered to have inspired a generation of artists, designers, and makers with my designs, products, and crazy world full of creatures. Fostering this kind of creativity in my fans, and collaborating with incredible people from around the world is my biggest, and more flattering joy.

Simply put, if I can make things that inspire and delight people, I'm doing it right.